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“Let us not give into pessimism and discouragement.”
-Pope Francis-
Pope Francis has been labeled the most charismatic pontiff since Blessed Pope John XXIII. The reigning pope has charm, street smarts, and personal holiness. He is eminently qualified for his role as the 266th successor to the See of St. Peter as the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth. At the end of his first year in office Francis’ popularity as the People’s Pope grows. Despite all the adulation surrounding this noble man of humble birth the question remains what has he accomplished as he enters his second year? Is he a game changer or a ‘cosmetic’ pope? Here’s what two people think; an atheist writes “The pope should deal with the pedophilia problem. He can’t rebuild a tarnished image unless you’re positive the thing that tarnished it is forever purged from the Church.” Here’s from a Catholic “So far I like Pope Francis. He’s humble and very down to earth. I think he’ll make a great pope. He’s what the Church needs.”
At the top of Vatican agenda is the clerical sex abuse scandals. Save for the Vatican Bank fiasco how to clean up the mess dumped on his doorstep should be priority one. At the time of this writing Pope Francis has appointed a special group to better determine how to handle sex abuse cases. An abuse victim sits on this council. The United Nations got involved with an investigation of their own. Priest and victims rights advocate, Fr. Tom Doyle told National Catholic Reporter in an interview that: “His comments about clerical sex abuse make it clear that he [the pope] is using the same tired irrelevant playbook the bishops have worn out over the past few years.”
During the 32 years I taught school I dealt with several cases of child sex abuse. My solution was simple; question the parties involved, contact my superiors who’d conduct similar inquiries, have an aide/substitute teacher take over the class while I’d contact Department of Children and Family Services, the Chicago Police Department and fill out and send the proper documents to the appropriate parties. No pontifical councils, no covering up, no lying to the press, no playing down the problem, hearing all sides, and letting the police/DCFS investigate allegations. From a papal perspective closure on all sides, this thorny issue could have been achieved had church authorities used common sense. The new pope should launch an immediate global investigation of this entire mess and let the chips fall where they may. Let civil authorities handle the ‘cloak and dagger’ stuff.
In 1942 Pope Pius XII founded the ‘Institute for the Works of Religion’ the Vatican Bank to manage assets destined for religious/charitable works. Through the decades the bank has sunk into a quagmire of sordid double dealings. Allegations of global money laundering, Mafia infiltration/manipulation, transference of funds from the church’s bank by nefarious individuals/corporations to fat private Swiss/offshore bank accounts proliferate. Ordinary investors have seen their life’s savings obliterated. Pope Francis has made considerable progress in righting the wrongs of the Vatican’s bank; however according to the Council of Europe’s Moneyval Committee, the Holy See’s financial watchdog agency, this bank has yet to undergo inspection by bank examiners. Francis has a long way to go but obstacles keep on popping up as he sifts through the wreckage with no end in sight. This bank should come clean or face closure after consolidating its holdings and paying off bilked investors.
His Holiness’ decision to appoint eight ‘outsider’ cardinals to serve as papal advisers has been hailed as one of the wisest moves in recent memory. Francis’ naming Australian Cardinal Pell, former Australian Rules football or soccer player, radical-reformer Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of war torn Kinshasa, Congo, Oswald Gracias of Mombai, India, Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago, Chile (Ret.), and other multinational men to his clerical G8 list. This is a step in the right direction though Europeans still predominate as Francis’ aim to make Catholic-Christianity Catholic, in fact and in name.
Pope Francis and Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury are close friends. Church of England leader Justin Webly has a Benedictine friar as his personal confidant. Relations between the two branches of world Catholicism has been strained for years. Its’ hoped Francis and Welby both new to their jobs help ease tensions between the two Christian denominations.
Liberals can forget about the new pope changing Catholic doctrine; he can’t. Momma Mary herself couldn’t change an iota of core Christian doctrine; only God can but God being all truth can’t contradict Himself. Controversial issues like same sex ‘marriage,’ homosexuality, abortion as birth control, divorce and remarriage (certain cases exempt), clerical ordination of women (There is a precedent for female deacons in the early Church; female cardinals?), sexual morality (Despite wide proliferation of condoms and other BC devices in Thailand, AIDS cases and late term abortions soar.), and other Bible mandated tenants of Christian morality. Francis in his many talks always stated this in spite of what commentators of various political/philosophical persuasions have said. The best thing Pope Francis could do is clean out the rats in the galley, purge his officers, encourage the crew, and replace the rotten planking on St. Peter’s Bargue by any means necessary.
As often the case, no matter what endeavor or situation people and organizations find themselves in, political gaming will warm its way through. Career Vatican diplomat Pietro Parolin unofficial papal prime minister was no random choice for his new job. Pope Francis wants Catholic-Christianity to emerge as a key player on the world political stage for the best reasons. With political corruption, costly wars consuming lives and resources on a global scale creating surging waves of impoverished refugees, the growing threat of nuclear extinction as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian turf war, the concept of Globalization devolving into greed as unscrupulous corporate moguls drive the wedge ever wider between themselves and the struggling middle classes increasing poverty rolls on a colossal scale. It’s a little wonder why the Francis papacy want Catholic-Christianity a major voice of good for the world’s struggling billions. Having key people at the helm is good politics. The creation of a Secretariat of the Economy or papal ministry of finance is politically/religiously correct.
Despite the new pope’s energy and insight he’s only one man. For complete transformation of Catholic-Christianity it’s going to need a lot more energy and drive than the 77 year old pontiff has. Pope Francis will need time to revamp Christ’s Church, prayer, and all the right people in the right places. He’s got to think about the future of the Christian Church which implies that it’s imperative for him to set things in order for generations of Chief Stewards who will follow him. If not, all could be irretrievably lost. The papal house of stewards the Roman Curia must be revamped if Francis’ initiatives are to survive and thrive long after he’s an obscure historical footnote.
“Catholic-Christianity must do what Jesus did by bringing Salvation to all humanity or succumb into irrelevancy known only as an outmoded leftover from darker times.”
Can observing the 10 Commandments help ease/eliminate personal/global poverty? Part three of our Lenten/Easter series concludes next edition with the promised article on education, poverty, and God’s 10 Commandments. Reader I wish you Godspeed on your pilgrimage through life. (vamaxwell@yahoo.com)